The Temple Mount and its jewish temples

Time: Usually about 1¼﻿hours, although you may have to wait for a large enough group to assemble﻿.

Distance: About ¾﻿ km﻿﻿﻿

Difficulty: A very easy path﻿

The walk described here is around the interior perimeter of the Temple Mount, which avoid the possibility of someone Jewish treading on holy and therefore forbidden ground. This guide is not intended to present a comprehensive discussion of all the buildings currently on the Temple Mount, but only those structures most relevant to Jewish history.﻿

Should Jews ascend or not ascend the Temple Mount - that is the question?

There are no longer any remains of the Jewish Temple. Nevertheless, the Jewish sages have ruled that the laws of holiness still apply to the area on which it once stood.

Hence, Maimonides writes in his legal work the Mishna Torah:

“In spite of the fact that the Holy Temple is now in a state of destruction as a result of transgressions, one is nonetheless obligated to conduct himself with reverence, just as he would have done when the Holy Temple was standing. One must enter only into the permissible areas. One must not sit in the area of the courtyard, and one must not be frivolous in the direction where the eastern gate stood, as it is written “My Sabbaths you shall keep, and my Holy Temple you should revere" (Leviticus 19:13). Just as the observance of the Sabbath is an eternal commandment, so too the commandment to revere the Holy Temple is applicable today and forever. Although the Holy Temple is currently in a state of destruction, its sanctity remains.”(Maimonides Mishna Torah, the Book of Divine Service, the Laws of the Chosen House 7:7)

The “permissible areas” that Maimonides mentions are those around the periphery of the Temple Mount, but not the Central Platform (the raised area in the center of the Temple Mount on which the Dome of the Rock now stands), nor the area to the east of the Central Platform where the Court of Women was located - as these are the areas where the Temple once stood.

The position of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate is that Jews should not visit the Temple Mount. There are a number of reasons for their position.There is concern that the Temple Mount could become a tourist attraction and many Jews would ascend without due reverence and without the required ritual purity. They may walk on prohibited areas, such as on the Central Platform, for which sufficient ritual purity cannot be achieved nowadays. There is also concern that the exact place where the Temple once stood is not known with certainty and people may inadvertently stand on holy areas. Given this situation, it is better that Jews not go up at all. The Chief Rabbinate is the highest religious authority in Israel, and this could be considered reason alone to abide by their decision.

However, there are Rabbis, especially from the national religious camp, who feel strongly that Jews should visit the Temple Mount. Every generation is obligated to work towards the rebuilding of the Temple so that God can once again “dwell” among His people. Although the Jewish people are not in a position to rebuilt the Temple, we can still yearn for it. Ignoring the Temple Mount for most of the year leads to forgetfullness not longing. Where the Temple once stood has been established from archeological studies. Jews should absolutely avoid walking on the Central Platform and the area to the east of the platform, but sufficient ritual purity can be achieved for visiting the rest of the Temple Mount by immersing in a mikveh (ritual bath). Preparations and reverence for visiting the Temple Mount should be as if one is preparing for a pilgrimage to the Temple. Provided these are done, there is no reason not to visit the Temple Mount.

There is no doubt that the Temple Mount should never become as a tourist site for the Jewish people. But whether those prepared to show the correct reverence should ascend is becoming an issue in the religious world. In surveys that have been done in this sector, a majority feel that it is appropriate to ascend the Temple Mount. Maimonides, for example, went up on the Temple Mount.

In sum, this is a topic that needs thought and possibly consultation with one's religious advisor before making a decision.

Can gentiles visit the Temple Mount?

Gentiles have no obligations regarding ritual purity. When the Temple was standing, gentiles were not permitted to walk close to the Temple building and its interior courts, although they could walk in the Court of the Gentiles and the Royal Portico. However, there are currently no suggestions that gentiles should not walk freely on the Temple Mount and the restrictions of the Chief Rabbinate do not apply to gentiles. Muslims walk over the entire area to access the Dome of the Rock and other Moslem buildings.

What is ritual impurity?

Before answering the question what is ritual purity, the question what is holiness in Judaism has to be discussed.

Time can be holy in Judaism – for example the Jewish Sabbath and Jewish holidays. Space can become holy: namely the Holy of Holies within the Temple.An object can become holy, such as a sacrifice designated for the Temple. The Bible describes God Himself as being holy (Leviticus 11:44).

The aim of a Jewish person is to achieve holiness by imitating God and contributing to become part of His “holy nation”. This can be achieved by adhering to the covenantal relationship forged by God with the Jewish people at Mount Sinai.

“Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine, but you shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5-6)

But what is holiness? The Bible mentions certain commands by means of which a Jew achieves holiness, such as refraining from work on the Sabbath, eating only kosher food, and avoiding non-permitted sexual relationships.﻿One might say that holiness is achieved by means delinated by God for bringing His transcendence into the world. However, it is impossible to define the state of holiness since it is not part of this physical world. The best one can say is that holiness is something separate from the normal functioning of the world because of its restrictions and limitations which imparts a sense of being in contact with the Divine in a way that is not part of our regular existence.

Ritual impurity is a state that prevents a Jew from approaching the holiness of the Sanctuary or Temple. It can result from such activities as being in contact with a corpse or an insect, and menstruation for a woman. One may attempt to explain what ritual impurity and its conversion to ritual purity are all about, but in the final analysis they are the requirements made by the Bible to elevate the sanctity of the Temple.

The reality is that for the last 2,000 years, ritual impurity has had minimal bearing on Jewish life, since the Jewish people have had no Temple. Most Jews are currently ritually impure, and it is impossible to achieve the degree of purity necessary for stepping on the area where the former Temple was located. However, it is possible for males to become sufficiently ritually pure to ascend the Temple Mount by immersing in a mikveh (ritual bath). Women can also ascend the Temple Mount, but the situation is more complicated than for men because of menstruation.

To whom does the Temple Mount “belong”?

The simple answer is that it belongs to the Israelis. But nothing is simple when it comes to the Temple Mount.

According to the Partition Plan drawn up by the League of Nations at the end of the British mandate, Jerusalem and Bethlehem were to be internationalized. This could be regarded as an attempt by Christianity to maintain some control over their holy places. But it never happened. When the British withdrew from Palestine in 1947, the Jordanians took control of East Jerusalem and the Old City, including the Temple Mount, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan became responsible for the administration of the Temple Mount. Even today, it pays the salaries of the Waqf.

Israel captured Jerusalem and the Temple Mount from the Jordanians during the 1967 Six Day War. Following the war, the Israeli government was intent on forging a peace agreement with the Arab states.If this would have occurred, the West Bank would have been returned to the Jordanians or Palestinians, and the Temple Mount would have continued to be administered by the Waqf, although Jerusalem would have remained united under Israeli control. However, the neighboring Arab states refused any form of peace treaty, and this also never happened. Nevertheless, the Israeli government permitted the Muslims the exclusive right of prayer on the Temple Mount and for the entire area to be administered by the Waqf. The Western Wall of the Temple Mount was designated for Jewish prayer.

The Israeli government has kept rigidly to this agreement. Despite this Israeli concession, the Waqf has never recognized any Israeli authority over the Temple Mount.Since the time of Amin al Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem during the British mandate, the Palestinians have been paranoid about the possibility of the Jews attempting to rebuild their Temple, and they vigorously, and at times violently, object to any changes initiated by Israel on the Temple Mount. The presence of their mosques and shrines on Judaism’s most holy site confirms the supremacy of Islam over Judaism. Without requesting permission from any Israeli authority, they have built an additional mosque in Solomon’s Stables (see below), leaving no room for a place of Jewish worship on the Temple Mount.

This type of religious struggle over the Temple Mount is nothing new. When the Romans conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple, they placed statues of the emperor on the site of the Holy of Holies. After taking control of Jerusalem from the Byzantines, the Moslems built the Dome of the Rock on the site of the Holy of Holies. The Crusaders tore this down and replaced it with a church. Saladin destroyed the church and replaced it with the Dome of the Rock.

Nevertheless, Israel holds itself responsible for security on the Temple Mount. This means ensuring the safety of all non-Muslims on the mount, as well as protecting Muslims and Muslim places of worship from Jewish zealots. Muslims insist that non-Muslims not be allowed to pray on the Temple Mount or bring religious articles, including prayer books, shofers and crosses, although they may visit the Temple Mount at times that do not interfere with Muslim pray (admission is not permitted on Friday and may be restricted on Ramadan). Jews may also talk about religious matters on the Temple Mount. Israeli police, and sometimes members of the Waqf, accompany religious Jewish groups to make sure these rules are adhered to.

How is it that the State of Israel allows Muslims to control Judaism’s most holy site, when it is Israel that took it over in battle from the Jordanians? Many Jews ask this very same question!

Welcome to the Temple Mount!

Herod's Temple

The last Temple to be built on the Temple Mount was Herod's Temple, which was built on the foundations of the previous Temple. Nothing remains of this building since it was burnt to the ground by the Romans during the 70 CE Great Revolt. It was recognized as one of the architectural wonders of the Roman world, and pilgrims and tourists came from throughout the Roman Empire to admire it﻿.

The entrance to the Tabernacles in the desert and in Israel, as well as the Temple in Jerusalem, always faced towards the west, and the main entrance into their courtyards was from the east. Pagan temples often faced to the east, from whence the sun rises, and were entered into from the west, and it is no coincidence that the Jewish Temple faced in exactly the opposite direction.

Archeologists tell us that Herod's Temple, excluding the Court of the Women, was located on the raised Central Platform that we see today, although it was not centrally located on this platform. The Court of the Women was to the east of the Central Platform where an olive grove is now located. Most of the Soreg (more about this below) was probably also outside the Central Platform.

The Holy of Holies was built on top of a mountain and pilgrims ascended to the Temple, passing through courtyards at progressively higher levels. It is likely that the Central Platform for the Dome of the Rock is at a slightly lower than the level of the foundations of the Holy Temple, as the foundations woudl have been destroyed by the Romans, and the ground level where the Court of the Women was located is now at a bit higher level than it once was.

The Court of the Women was the lowest section of the Temple complex. A semi-circular stairway led from the Court of the Women to the next level up, which was the Court of the Israelites. Jewish men could enter this courtyard to watch the Temple proceedings, but not the next court – the Court of the Priests - which was solely for priests.The Court of the Israelites and the Court of the Priests were narrow courts, with the latter being at a higher level than the former.At the center of the steps between these two courtyards was a small platform, the duchan, and from here the Levites sang psalms. At a higher level still was the Temple Court (azarah), which is where the altar was located. The altar was a square structure with a ramp on its southern side. Animals for sacrifice were slaughtered at the base of the altar, brought up to the altar by the ramp, and burnt on its top.

Steps led from the azarah to the Temple itself. The Temple was covered in white marble and its sides and roof were covered in gold that glittered from afar. ﻿﻿It had three sections - the entrance Porch (ulam), the Holies (heichal) and the Holy of Holies (debir). The Holy of Holies was where the Dome of the Rock now stands. This observation is mentioned in a number of Rabbinic sources, and most experts are confident that this is the case. In the First Temple, the Ark of the Covenant was kept in the Holy of Holies and God’s presence was most manifest above the golden cherubim that were part of the covering of the Ark. To this day, Jews turn to in the direction of the Holy of Holies during individual and communal prayer.The Ark was hidden prior to the First Temple being destroyed by the Babylonians in the 6th century BCE, allegedly somewhere beneath the Temple, and it has not been located since. Thus the Holy of Holies was completely empty in the temples of the Second Temple period.

One senses ambivalence in Jewish sources regarding Herod's Temple. On the one hand, the expansion of the Temple Mount was needed because of the many visitors. The many non-Jews who came to see it brought knowledge of monotheism to the Roman Empire. On the other hand, it was built by a murderer, a protege of Rome, and a king of Edomite stock who was detested and hated by his Jewish subjects. His success in controlling the position of the High Priest contributed to the corruption of the priesthood. ﻿The Mishna contains a description of the Temple, but surprisingly it describes the Hasmonean Temple and not that of Herod. Surprising, because the Mishna was written after the destruction of Herod's Temple.﻿

The first Temple lasted over 380 years, the Second Temple just under 600 years, and Herod’s Temple for less than 100 years.﻿ Despite its grandeur, this was not the instution destined to lead the Jewish people forward into history.

Preparing for your ascent to the Temple Mount

There is a reliable kosher mikveh for Jewish men and women in the Old City at 11 HaOmer St. No appointment is needed. There is a charge.

Gentiles and Jews are encouraged to wear non-leather shoes as a sign of respect for the Temple Mount.

Modest dress should be worn. The police will provide you with an outer garment if you are wearing above knee shorts for example.

The Waqfinsists, and the Israeli police are compliant with this, that no religious articles be brought onto the Temple Mount. If you engage in any religious activity, the police will likely remove you. Cameras are permitted.

Backpacks, leather shoes etc can be left at your own risk in-unlocked trunks by the Dung Gate before ascending.

The Temple Mount can be visited by non-Muslims Sunday to Thursday 7.30 AM to 11.00 AM, and 1.30 PM – 2.30 PM during the summer. It is closed to visitors on Muslim holidays, and there may be restrictions during the month of Ramadan. Times can be confirmed by calling 02-622 6250.

The procedure for ascending is to go to the southern security station close to the Dung Gate. Do not wait for a security check in the regular line for the Western Wall. There is a special entrance for ascending the Temple Mount to the right of the women's entrance.﻿ You will need to show the police a government issued ID card. Without this, you will probably not be permitted to go up.

Jews are escorted by the police as a group. There are religious Jews who accompany this group and who will make sure that you walk in areas permitted by Jewish law. They also give a short speech of encouragement in Hebrew halfway during the walk. Other than this, no explanations are provided (which strikes me as a missed opportunity).

Is it possible for a Jew to feel a sense of God's transcendence while walking in what is now a Muslim prayer area? It's tough. For starters, one needs to internalize that this is still holy ground. Some imagination is also needed to conjure up what once was here. This is what this webpage is about.

Walking on the Temple Mount:

Ascend the Temple Mount via the Moghrabi Gate .

The 12th century Mughrabi Gate is the only entrance through which non-Muslims are permitted to enter the Temple Mount. Archeological excavations and clearing of debris from the Western Wall Plaza revealed that this gate is well above the former ground level. It was built in 12th century when the ground level was much higher, and this is why it now needs to be entered by a ramp. This gate is directly above another gate, Barclay’s Gate, which was built in the Herodian period, and the stone lintel of this gate is visible from the women’s section of the Western Wall Plaza. Barclay’s Gate has been blocked up since the 10th century. This and another gate, Warren’s Gate, provided entrance to the Temple Mount from street level in Second Temple times, and underground passageways with steps led from these gates into the Temple Mount. The wooden ramp supported on stilts that you are now walking on is a temporary structure, as the previous embankment collapsed in 2014. However, no agreement has been reached between Jordan and the Israeli authorities as to a more permanent bridge.

Very soon after passing through the Mughrabi Gate and entering the emple Mount, you will see on your right Corinthian columns that were part of Herod’s Royal Portico.

These Corinthian columns are all that remains of Herod's Royal Portico. The grey dome of the Al Aqsa mosque can be seen in background.

The southern and western aspects of the Temple Mount platform were expanded by Herod in Second Temple times, thereby doubling its size, to accommodate the large number of pilgrims and visitors. Adjacent to his new southern wall, Herod built a Royal Portico on the Temple Mount. It was called royal not because it was for royalty, although they would certainly have used it, but because of its magnificence. Since it was not in the area of the Temple, there was no need for ritual immersion before walking in it.

The Royal Portico consisted of four rows of columns, the most southern column being interwoven into the southern wall of the Temple Mount, thereby creating 3 large covered walkways extending the full length of the southern wall.The columns were thick and topped by a Corinthian-type design– as can be seen from the picture above.Access to the Royal Portico was via Robinson’s Arch, which was an overpass over the Tyropoeon Valley. The Royal Portico was used for financial transactions, such as changing money and buying sacrifices, and the Sanhedrin also met here towards the end of the Second Temple period. Other than these Corinthian columns, there are no remains of the Royal Portico, and Musliem buildings are located where it once stood.

Picture of the model of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount in the Second Temple times in the Israel Museum. Note the Royal Portico on the left extending the full length of the southern Temple Mount wall. In front of the Royal Portico were the southern entrance and exit to the Temple Mount, these being the passages most pilgrims would have used. The nearest Temple court in this picture is the Court of the Women on the eastern side of the Temple.

The first building you will see on your right with a grey dome is the Al Aksa Mosque . Sunni Muslims regard this as their third holiest site, and entrance is permitted only to Muslims. Its interior, which dates from the 12th and 14th centuries, is reported as being extremely impressive. King Abdullah I of Jordan (1882–1951) was assassinated in this mosque by a Palestinian while attending Friday prayers because of suspicions he was about to conclude peace with Israel.

The outside of the Al Aqsa mosque.

The Al Aksa mosque means the “farthest mosque”, and according to Muslim tradition this is the distant mosque to which Muhammad arrived from Mecca on horseback in a mystical nighttime journey. He then rose to heaven from the Temple Mount accompanied by the angel Gabriel where he met Biblical prophets. His horse was tethered to the Western Wall. This journey is recorded in the Koran in the following verse “Praise be to Him who made his servant journey in the night from the sacred sanctuary to the remotest sanctuary”. The Al Aksa mosque was built to commemorate this event and the Dome of the Rock commemorates the spot from which Muhammad ascended to heaven.

But is the Al Aqsa mosque really the place to which Muhammad journeyed? Jerusalem is never mentioned in the Koran.There is discussion by the Muslim historian Al-Waqidi living 100 years after Mohammad (747-823 CE) that the "remotest sanctuary" was a few miles from Mecca. Other early Muslim historians write similarly. It is thus unlikely that Muhammad ever visited Jerusalem. ﻿Jerusalem was elevated in importance in 682 CE, fifty years after Muhammad’s death, when there was a split in the Islamic empire following the assassination of Ali, the fourth caliph and husband of Muhammad’s daughter Fatima. Muslims in Syria and Palestine were no longer able to go to Mecca and the first caliph of what would become the Ummayad dynasty elevated Jerusalem to a place of pilgrimage. To justify this, the story of Muhammad’s nighttime journey was rewritten to include the ruined Temple Mount, which was now interpreted as being “the remotest sanctuary”. It subsequently became the third holiest Sunni site after Mecca and Medina. Jerusalem was never a holy site to Shi’ite Muslims until the onset of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

This mosque began as a large wooden prayer house, but has been rebuilt a number of times by different dynasty caliphs following destruction by earthquakes. The present structure was built by the Fatimad caliph and dates from 1035 CE. There have been renovations and repairs since then, some as late as the last century. Some of the wooden beams used in its construction are of cedar of Lebanon and cypress and may well be “recycled” beams from First Temple times. Similar wooden beams can be seen discarded by the Gate of Mercy (to be seen shortly), and have been dated by carbon dating to as early as the 9th century BCE.

In front of the entrance to the Al Aqsa mosque you can see the entranceway to a tunnel that dates from Second Temple times. This tunnel was the main passageway for pilgrims exiting from the Temple Mount.

This tunnel that starts in front of the Al Aqsa Mosque was the exit tunnel for the Temple Mount in Second Temple times and led to the double-arched Hulda Gates. It passes under the Al Aqsa mosque and was blocked off when the mosque was built.

This underground tunnel, which is now under the Al Aksa Mosque, dates from the time of Herod and it provided an exit from the Temple Mount via the double-arched Hulda Gates within the southern wall. (Only one of the double gates is now visible from outside the Temple Mount as a Crusader tower hides the other gate). The passageway has domed stone ceilings, two of which are adorned with carvings of geometrical designs with foliage and are supposed to be quite beautiful.Unfortunately, they can no longer be seen, as the Waqf do not permit entrance to non-Muslims. The steps of this passageway leading to the Hulda Gates were blocked off when the Al Aksa mosque was built.

Now looking to your left: towards the Central Platform you will see "The Cup" , which is a large washbasin surrounded by a green metal grid. It was built by the Mamlukes in 1320 CE and is in the form of the Sultan’s coat of arms.

The Cup, a large washbasin, is in the foreground, and the steps to the Central Platform are behind this.The "Soreg" was probably just a bit beyond the Cup. ﻿The Soreg was a low decorated brick wall around the Temple beyond which gentiles were not permitted to go in Temple times.

The Cup is a washbasin for Muslims to wash their hands and feet. It is now connected to the water mains, although this is relatively recent. Prior to this, water was obtained from water cisterns hewed into the rock of the Temple Mount. There are about 37 known cisterns under the Temple Mount, some of them extremely big.One is known to have held about 2 million gallons of water. Many started off as quarries for Temple Mount building and were then plastered over. They were fed by surface water from the Temple Mount and an aqueduct system, initially built during the Hasmonean period, that brought water from a spring south of Bethlehem. Herod improved upon this system and extended Solomon’s Pools, which are reservoirs south of Bethlehem that are fed by spring water and water run off. The aqueduct system entered the Temple Mount by traversing Wilson’s Arch, which was a bridge over the Tyropoeon Valley. This arch is now beneath ground level, but it can be viewed on a tour of the Western Wall tunnel. Plentiful water was a necessity for the Temple, as sacrificing animals was a bloody affair. In the time of the Second Temple, blood was washed away from the altar from water issuing from its base.

Just past the Cup in the direction of the Central Platform was the Soreg. This was a low decorated brick wall that surrounded the Temple and that functioned as a barrier beyond which only Jews in a state of purity could go.Signs in various languages warned Gentiles not to go any further. One of these signs engraved on stone in Greek was found as part of a building and is now in a museum in Istanbul, Turkey, and a fragment of another sign is in the Israel Museum.

Looking to your left as you walk along: you can see a short stairway leading to the Central Platform and this provides you with a direct view of the Dome of the Chain through the arches.This looks like a miniature version of the Dome of the Rock.﻿﻿

Now viewing to your right: after passing the entrance to the Al Aksa mosque you can see the exit of a tunnel that Herod built from the triple-arched Hulda Gates to the Temple Mount. There is an iron roof over its entrance. This was once the main entranceway for pilgrims ascending to the Temple Mount.﻿

The Dome of the Chain is seen through the arches on the Central Platform. It probably stands where the steps leading to the Porch of the Temple were once located. Just to the east of it was the Altar.

The arches on the four sides of the platform were built by the Muslims shortly after they drove out the Crusaders. According to legend, the Dome of the Chain is on the spot on which either King David or King Solomon had a chain that magically resolved disputes. It is of interest because it was built where the steps leading into the Templeonce were. Slightly to its east was the Altar.

Looking now to your right: you will see a flat area in the southeast corner of the Temple Mount. This is the roof of a new mosque built by the Muslims in Solomon’s Stables . Its entrance is by the southern wall.

Solomon's Stables were not built by King Solomon. It is an underground area that is part of the extension of the Temple Mount platform created by Herod and that was built on arches. The spaces between the arches were not filled with earth, as this would have created too much pressure on the outside wall. The empty areas between the arch supports were used as stables by the Crusaders. The Muslims have recently cleared this area and turned it into a below ground level mosque. No permission was requested to do this and the Israeli authorities apparently paid no attention to what was happening. During the mosque’s construction, the Waqf carted away dozens of truckloads of dirt without any archeological oversight and tipped them into the nearby Emeq Tzurim National Park. This park has since become an archeological site and numerous artifacts from First Temple times and onwards have been discovered by sifting through the dumped dirt.

Continuing your walk along the perimeter of the Temple Mount, turn left by the eastern wall of the Temple Mount. Between you and the Central Platform is an olive grove. The Court of the Women was located within this grove and close to the single set of steps this side of the Temple Mount.

﻿You cannot see this because its height obstructs your view, but the eastern wall is built above the Kidron Valley and facing the Mount of Olives. The northern section of this eastern wall reaches to bedrock and dates from First Temple times, with later additions being made during the Hasmonean and Herodian periods. The wall was lengthened when Herod expanded the Temple Mount platform and the southern section of the wall is Herodian.

﻿Continue walking until you come to a path that provides a direct view of the Dome of the Rock. This would have been the main pathway for entrance into the Court of Women and from there to other Temple courtyards.

The group you are with will probably stop here for a while for people to contemplate - since this was the main entrance for pilgrims into the Temple compound. The path in front of you led to the Court of the Women. Between this and the next court, the Court of the Israelites, were 15 steps leading to the beautifully decorated bronze Gate of Niconar. On the steps, the Levites sang the Psalms of Ascent. The steps you see in front of you leading to the Central Platform are probably where these 15 steps were located.

The Court of Women was a square courtyard with a portico around it and four small courtyards at each corner. It had gates on each side, although the eastern gate was its main entrance. This court was not exclusively for women, but was named this because it was the furthest court that women were permitted to enter. Women would have gathered on the roof of the colonnades to avoid intermingling of the sexes. Where the steps to the Central Platform are now would have been 15 steps in the form of a semi-circle leading to the large and elaborately decorated bronze Niconar Gate. This gate provided entrance to the Court of the Israelites and it was usually open so that males could follow the proceedings in the Temple Court. The 15 Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) were sung by the Levites on the steps, and rituals such as cleansing of the leper and purification of women after childbirth took place in front of the steps. Within this court were four massive lampstands, so tall that ladders were needed to reach their top. Golden oil lamps on these lampstands provided illumination for the entire surrounding area during darkness﻿.

The group you are with will probably stop just before the Gate of Mercy﻿ at the "Yitzhak and Talia Imas Beit Hamidrash" for short words of Torah about the Temple. This couple, formerly from Russia, were among the first in the 1980's to encourage people to ascend the Temple Mount so as to learn more about it. Tragically, they were murdered in 2010 by Arab terrorists while driving home.

Continue walking along the periphery of the Temple Mount. You will soon see to your right the sealed Gate of Mercy . The threshold of this gate is below the surface of the plaza. This is the only eastern entrance to the Temple Mount and has been sealed since medieval times.

The Gate of Mercy has been blocked throughout the Muslim periods, probably because of its eschatological significance.

This gate is called Sha’ar HaRachamim in Jewish sources and the Golden Gate in Christian sources, and has significance in the traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.It was probably built by the emperor Justinian in the 520’s CE on top of prior ruins of a gate. It was sealed by the Muslims in 810 CE, opened by the Christians, and closed again by Saladin when he came to power after defeating the Christians. Suleiman the Magnificent built the gate as part of his city wall in the Ottoman period but never opened it. Why the openings and closings?An answer may relate to Jewish and Christian eschatology.

There is a tradition based on writings from the Biblical prophets that the Messiah will come from the Mount of Olives and enter Jerusalem through the Gate of Mercy. The resurrection of the dead will also commence on the Mount of Olives and the Final Judgment will take place in the Kidron Valley below this eastern wall.﻿This is also the gate where Christian tradition holds that the resurrected Jesus will enter into Jerusalem. Blocking the gate could delay what the Muslims hold would be a false Messiah or Anti-Christ. Notice some wooden planks at the bottom of the gate. They were left here following repairs to the Al Aqsa mosque. They are extremely old and have been carbon-dated to First Temple times.

At the northeast corner of the Temple Mount is the Gate of the Tribes . The Israel Defense Force entered the Temple Mount through this gate in 1967 when they liberated Jerusalem during the Six Day War.

The Gate of the Tribes is at the north-east corner of the Temple Mount. It was the gate used by the IDF when it captured the Temple Mount.

Turning left and parallel to the northern border of the Temple Mount, it is now possible to approach closer to the Central Platform, as its edge is quite far from Temple structures or the Soreg. The wall around this part of the Central Platform is medieval, although there are also Herodian foundation stones visible. There is no longer a northern wall for the Temple Mount, and Moslem educational institutions are located where this wall once stood.

Look at the northwest corner of the Temple Mount where a building on a cliff can be seen. This is where the Fortress of Antonia once stood.

This Arab building constructed on a cliff is where the Fortress of Antonia once stood.

It is likely that Solomon built a fortress to the north of the Temple Mount to protect its northern wall, since i was not otherwise protected by topographical features, and this was also used by later Judean kings. The Hasmoneans also had a fortress here. The fortress built by Herod was called the Fortress of Antonia, and was named after his close friend Mark Antony. Josephus describes the structure as follows: “It was the work of King Herod and crowning exhibition of the innate grandeur of his genius”. Part of the cliff was cut away and the fortress built on the remaining rock. It appeared like a tower with four towers at each corner and it dominated the Temple Mount. Its northern wall was surrounded by a moat. In this fortress/palace were 600 soldiers, part of a Roman garrison, whose function it was to police the Temple Mount and in effect maintain Herod’s control over it. The fortress was connected to the Temple Mount by a passage. Herod filled in the valley between the fortress and Temple Mount so as to enlarge the northernmost part of the Temple Mount platform.

Turn left along the perimeter of the western wall. Note the cloisters along the wall which were built in the 13th century. It is likely that cloisters like this existed along the entire periphery of the Temple Mount during Second Temple times, other by the southern wall where the Royal Portico stood.

Look at the base of the first set of steps to the Central Platform in the north-west corner and you will notice that their structure is different from the rest of the steps . This is pre-Herodian stone and may well have been part of the former western wall of the Temple Mount. To the west of the stone step was Herod's extension of the Temple Mount.

As you walk along, you are passing on top of the Western wall tunnel and then the Kotel. On passing the next stairway, and if your vision is good, you may be able to see through the open door of the Dome of the Rock the﻿ lights of the chandelier that illuminate the Foundation Stone ﻿.

Through the open door of the Dome of the Rock, you can just make out the lights of the chandelier that illuminate the Even ha-Shtiya.

The Dome of the Rockis not a mosque, but a shrine built over the rocky projection of the top of the Temple Mount (called by the Muslims "the Sakhrah"). It was built by the Ummayad caliph in 691 CE on the site where it is believed the Holy of Holies was formerly located.﻿The Holy of Holies was over the rocky top (the "Even Ha-shtiya" in Hebrew) of the highest point of the Temple Mount. Moslems believe that it is from here that Muhammad paid a night visit to heaven accompanied by the angel Gabriel. They also hold that the angel of the trumpet will sound his horn from this spot on Resurrection Day.

According to the Talmud, the creation of the world began from Even ha-Shtiya (the Foundation Stone), and this is where Adam, Cain, Abel and Noah offered sacrifices. This is also where Abraham began offering up his son on Mount Moriah before being stopped by an angel. The Even ha-Shtiya has not been accorded any special holiness in Judaism and almost all the rock, except for its very top (¾﻿ of a fingersbreadth above the ground), was covered up during construction of the Second Temple to build the foundations of the Holy of Holies. The Christians completely covered up the Even ha-Shtiya when they build a church on this site. The Dome of the Rock was converted into a church during the Crusader period, and then converted back into a shrine by the Muslims during the rule of Saladin. The Sakhrah was then exposed again, as it is to this day, some 7 feet above ground level.Muslim reverence of these stones is related to Muhammad’s nighttime journey. The gold covering of the dome of the building is fairly recent.

Exit the Temple Mount through the Gate of the Chain . The priests in the time of the Temple would not turn their faces from the Holy of Holies while on the Temple Mount. Similarly, there is a custom among Jews to walk backwards towards the gate, so as to continue to face the place of the sanctuary until the last moment.

The Gate of the Chain is an impressive gate built by the Crusaders. It is at the end of the Street of the Chain, which is an extension of the David St. that begins close to Jaffa Gate. A gate was also here in the Second Temple period accessed by Wilson’s Arch.

There was formerly a valley at the foot of the Western wall called the Tyropoeon Valley, which separated the Temple Mount from the Upper City. Wilson’s Arch crossed this valley and provided access to the Temple Mount from the Upper City. In the Mamluke period, this valley was filled in so that the top of Wilson’s Arch was brought to ground level, as was this gate. The Western Wall tunnel, incidentally, results from excavations carried out in the Tyropoeon Valley that have revealed structures formerly at the bottom of this valley before it was filled in.

To return to the Western Wall Plaza, continue along Chain Gate St. Take the first turning on the left, ha-Kotel St., and this will bring you to a security station for the Western Wall Plaza, or continue along ha-Kotel St. to Dung Gate.

(Resources: "The Quest: Revealing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem" by Leen Ritmeyer, published by Carta, Jerusalem, and "Arise and Ascend: A Guide to the Temple Mount” published by the Meeting Place Association.)